Chapter 2

A/N: Whoa! 117 hits? Seriously? This is so amazing you guys, thank you so much! To the people who dropped their thoughts in the review box, I can't tell you how great that made me feel. I loved reading all the responses and hope that you enjoy this next chapter. To everyone who StoryAlerted and everything else, I owe you all a plate of cookies. Please go forth and read chapter 2, and let me know what you think!

Mr. Schuester walked past the guidance office, glancing in and not seeing Emma behind her desk. Disappointed, he continued his trek through to the administration offices where he had been summoned by Principal Figgins regarding God knows what now. He was hoping the it was not another Sue Sylvester bitch fit. He had enough drama of his own going on right now with Terri/Non-baby/Regionals planning. On his list of more crap to handle, Sue's vendetta against him and New Directions was one he wanted no part of right now. But, seeing as how that was the last thing he needed, it would most likely be what was happening.

Rapping softly on the door, Figgins waved him in and continued the animated conversation he was having with an unfamiliar teen in the chair across from him. Will walked in and hesitated before Figgins again gestured at him to sit down.

"-and after we won the Sectionals event for the West Coast division, my parents informed me about the move and now here I am." The teen finished speaking, and finally took in that there was another person in audience with him and the Principal. Looking questioningly at Will, he focused his attention back to Figgins who was finally fully acknowledging the confused teacher.

"Schue, this is Jesse-"

"St. James, pleasure to meet you" the young man finished, sticking his hand out to Mr. Schuester. Taking it and reciprocating the introduction, Schue looked back to Figgins, still unaware of why he was summoned.

"Jesse just transferred here from Los Angeles, where his glee club just won the Western Conference sectionals competition," Figgins continued, obviously excited about the information "His parents moved out here for work, and Jesse came with them, bringing his experience with show choir with him to McKinley High!"

The pieces began falling into place, and Will reappraised the young man beside him. Looking like he was already twenty, this teenager was unique, Will could instantly sense that about him.

Looking Jesse St. James over, Schue was able to quickly take in one thing: This kid was confident. From the way he held out his hand and introduced himself over the principal to the way he was appraising Will as Will appraised him, Jesse St. James was obviously someone who had grown into a matured state of existence.

"Well Jesse," Will began, figuring he had nothing to lose by adding another voice to the group "You're welcome to audition for a spot during our meeting later this afternoon or you can sit in on our rehearsal today and perform tomorrow if you need time to prepare."

"I would like to get a feel of the group in order to choose a song that would not isolate myself creatively," came the prompt reply, enunciating on and reenforcing Wills initial opinion of him "I'll audition tomorrow afternoon."

"Excellent!" Figgins cried, clearly pleased with his efforts on Wills behalf "This is an exciting opportunity for Mr. St. James and New Directions"

Will stood, ready to escape the over-enthused principal and self-confident candidate. "Sounds great" he said, smiling at Figgins and nodding at Jesse St. James, "The choir room is right down this hall, the door will be open. Practice starts at 3:30 today"

Jesse nodded back, mentally going through his audition pieces. He watched as the young teacher scurried out of the room, and hastily thanked Principal Figgins and left the office as well.

Walking through the unfamiliar halls, Jesse continued mulling over his options for the audition. Well, "audition" he smirked to himself, there'ss no way I'm not going to get into the glee club of some rinky dink middle-America high school when I was the star of the mostcompetitivee show choir west of the Mississippi.

Turning the corner still lost in thought, he witnessed a mammothly large teen wearing a football jersey clutching onto a cup that was filled with something that looked like purple mush walking purposefully towards a girl obviously not paying attention to her surroundings. Like when seeing a car crash, Jesse stood transfixed as the girl shut her locker and turned faced the direction he was standing only to have the mush tossed right in her face.

Right in her face.

Jesse was no fashionista, but he did care about how he presented himself to the world. He wanted to look nice and put together at all times. A well kept appearance can change a persons view of you, and he was a California boy. The way you looked was the way people viewed you in Los Angeles. So to him, the idea that someone would throw a frozen calorie bomb in another persons face was barbaric.

The girl stood, sputtering and stunned, as the gorilla guffawed and continued down the hall, slapping a hi-five to another of his kind passing by. Jesse continued to stare at her, her shoulders slumped and sporting a defeated look. None of the students milling around the hall approached her, many actually laughed as they spotted her and continued on past her, acting as if this wasn't something truly mean, even by standards lower than that of Jesse St. James.

She took a hand to her face and wiped off the chunks of slushy still there, and went to her locker to begin rummaging around inside. Finally shaking the shock off his face, he found himself approaching the girl before he knew what he was doing.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked tentatively, feeling genuine concern for this girl. She whirled around, bits of ice flying off her previously spotless blue shirt and short black skirt.

"Don't I look wonderful?" she asked viciously, her eyes narrowed and sarcasm dripping faster than the corn syrup from her hair "Doesn't it look like I am okay?"

Jesse's eyes widened in surprise of the hostility, and he found himself backing up a step from her unconsciously.

"I, uh-"

"Don't bother, you apparently are having as many issues forming sentences as I am getting through a day in this school without being emotionally and now physically assaulted" she spat, slamming her locker shut and storming off down the hall from which he had just come, a change of clothes and small bag clutched in her hands.

Once again, Jesse stood stunned by the actions surrounding this girl, who he could not help but noticing (under all of the Red #2 and Blue #1 dye of the slushy) was kind of cute. Shaking his head of these unnecessary thoughts as a bell rang signaling the start of the next period, he set back out on pace to his class, wondering if this school was really going to be an archetypal horror story of an institution.

He hoped not, but as any good celebrity autobiography will tell you, it usually is.

Rachel found herself in the bathroom for the second time that day, this time with slushy dripping down her face mingling with the tears. As she wiped the chilly concoction away from her face and dipped down to the sink to rinse out her hair, she let her thoughts wander back to the boy who had approached her. Dressed like someone who had just hopped off a plane from some sun-heavy climate, he had the unique honor of being the first person to approach her after a McKinley Facial (as they are so lovingly referred to by the perpetrators) and ask if she was okay. Not Finn, not Puck, certainly not Kurt or Mercedes, but some boy she did not know.

But she didn't respond graciously at all, the fact that she saw Finn standing down the hall frowning at the slusher without saying ANYTHING about it enraged and reopened the fresh heartache in her. So, in turn, she lashed out at the stranger and misplaced the decency she had always tried so hard to keep constant in a school of cruel. The more she stayed here, the more she felt her determination to not sink to their level slip.

She sighed and began to comb her damp hair out and reapply her makeup. Her fresh clothes were very un-Rachel Berry-like (a pair of blue jeans and a simple black t-shirt), and she felt off as she considered her appearance for the second time that day.

Positive thinking! she mentally scolded at her reflection, willing her expression to change back to the bright eyed starlet she remembered. Its just some boy you don't know, not like its someone who matters, not like its Fi-

She stopped her train of thought, determined again to not feel another pang from that rejection.

When I walk out of this bathroom, I will be Rachel Berry again, not pod-Rachel. So what if I have to resort to diva-like behavior to do so. Celine Dion didn't become Celine Dion by crying in a bathroom.

She quickly began gathering her slushied clothes and makeup bag, glanced over her reflection one more time, and put on a showface.

Ain't nothing gonna break my stride...

Jesse made his way out of his class and followed the herd of students rumbling towards the exits. The school day done, he was exhausted. It seemed that every teacher in every class wanted to hear his abridged life story before he took his seat and class could actually begin. Mid-year transfers were apparently a big thing around here, and even though Jesse St. James adored the spotlight as much as it adored him, he had no interest in being in front of an audience that couldn't have looked more uninterested if they were trying.

He finally freed himself from the throng of people and got a deep breath of fresh air when he stepped into the parking lot. He walked to his car and dropped his backpack into the trunk, and headed back into the school to sit in on the glee club rehearsal.

The hallway was empty now, with Jesse's footsteps being the only noise as he continued looking for the open door of the choir room Mr. Schuester told him about.

He began to hear the faint tinkling of a poppy song from a room around the corner. Quickening his pace, he turned it and saw a door cracked open and a group of students belting out the gang vocals to a rather subtly titled All-American Rejects track. Remembering the annoyance of being interrupted in the middle of totally owning a song, he lingered outside silently, watching and feeling impressed at the group, in particular a short dark haired girl who was leading the song.

As they finished with a gusto, he slipped in and stood in the inside doorframe still silently watching as she pointedly sang the last notes at a visibly uncomfortable guy who was the only one in his original seat after the gang vocalized assault. Mr. Schuester began to say something but the new addition to his choir room caught his eye. Waving him over as the others went back to the seats, he began to whisper to Jesse.

"I'm glad you made it," he glanced nervously at the group, who had noticed the female lead was glowering dangerously at the uncomfortable guy in the corner and was now apparently anticipating some sort of Lord of the Rings Style battle. Jesse was pretty sure he even heard the boy in the wheelchair say something about "$5 on her"

"-you have good timing, I'm pretty sure you'll work perfectly"

Wait, what? Jesse thought, refocusing again on the new teacher. Will ignored him and addressed the group.

"Alright guys listen up. We have a new student with us today who is going to be auditioning tomorrow. New Directions meet Jesse St. James."

Twelve sets of eyes rested on Jesse, and of those twelve, he could only find himself staring at one set in particular. That of a certain dark haired and previously slushy covered girl, who apparently was as stunned to see Jesse here as he was to see her.

As Schue went through the faces, Jesse heard him talking but was only fully aware of what he was saying when he came to the last of the McKinley kids

"and that is the other Co-Captain Rachel Berry."

Rachel Berry Jesse repeated in his mind Has a nice ring to it.

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